Bullying and Weight Shaming

Tomorrow kicks off Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW). This annual campaign is to help educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope, support, and visibility to families and individuals affected by eating disorders. My plan this week is to educate on various eating disorder topics and provide statistics to help with awareness.

To kick off EDAW, I wanted to bring up a topic that is near and dear to my heart and if I could personally take on all the harmful words that are said to children and adolescents about their weight, I would! So, I want to talk about Bullying and weight shaming.

· Up to 40% of overweight girls and 37% of overweight boys are teased about their weight by peers or family members. Weight teasing contributes to weight gain, binge eating, and extreme weight control measure.

· Of American elementary school girls who read magazines, 69% say that the pictures influence their concept of ideal body shape, and 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight.

· By the age of 6, girls start to express concerns about their own weight or shape. 40-60% of girls aged 6-12 years are concerned about their weigh or about becoming too fat. This concerns follows them through life.

· Lastly, the best-known environmental contributor to the development of eating disorders is the sociocultural idealization of thinness.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bullying and weight shaming. Many men and women are also bullied by the same people that they put their trust in to when they need help. I am talking about doctors and other medical professionals that look at an individual’s BMI and assume that if they lose weight, their health concerns will magically disappear. Have a broken ankle? You better lose weight. You continue to have sinus infections? You better lose weight. You feel tired throughout the day? You better lose weight. Get my drift? Bullying and weight shaming can surround you in many different forms. I give you the ultimate permission to stand up for yourself and help put a stop to this.

#itstimeforchange #EDAW2023 #eatingdisorderdietitian #jenmelchernutrition #eatingdisorderrecovery